THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
actually used, by a very large percentage
of the native population. Many of the
older Bretons cannot speak French, and
in 1902 it was found that the French
language was unknown or unused by
700,000 of the people. The government
now requires the learning of French by
the young, so we may expect the gradual
disuse and final death of this ancient
tongue.
Taking a brief glance at the history of
Brittany, we may note that at a very
Photo from Hugh M. Smith
LITTLE BRETON MAIDS
remote period this country became
thickly settled by a dark-skinned people
that, starting a westward migration from
some part of Asia, left monuments along
their route throughout central and north
ern Europe, and only ceased their wan
derings when stopped by the sea in Scan
dinavia, Ireland, Great Britain, France,
Portugal, and Spain. In prehistoric
times the Gauls conquered this early
race; and then came the Roman con
quest and the Roman occupation of Gaul
until the fourth century, up to which
time the peculiar religious practices of
the aboriginal race appear to have flour
ished unmolested by either Gauls or
Romans.
We read that in 383 Maximilian, son
in-law of Octavius of England, and his
nephew, Conan Meriadec, went over to
Armorica and endeavored to displace the
Romans. This venture cost the lives of
some 15,000 soldiers. Then Maximilian
took over a huge army and eventually
overcame the Romans. Conan became
king of the country, which he called Lit
tle Britain, or Bretagne; and, making
his capital at Nantes, he invited his coun
trymen, who were then very hard
pressed by the Scots and Picts and
Saxons, to come over and join him.
Many thousands responded to this and
subsequent invitations, and by the time
of Conan's death, in 421, Christianity,
that had been introduced with the Briton
immigrants, had been established and
paganism almost abolished over a large
part of the country.
In the middle ages the dukes of Brit
tany exercised semi-royal prerogatives,
and the people had a separate parliament
for many years preceding the French
Revolution. At the outbreak of that
momentous struggle the Bretons lived up
to their reputation for conservatism and
remained loyal to the monarchy, and
forcibly resisted the establishment of the
republic long after the other parts of
France had accepted the new regime.
This sanguinary chapter in the history
of the country has been vividly por
trayed in Balzac's stirring novel, "The
Chouans."
The Britons, at first the friends and
kindred of the Bretons, eventually be
came their hereditary enemies. For cen
turies the British privateers and naval
vessels ravaged this coast, blockaded the
harbors, bombarded the towns, landed
fighting parties, and the long-continued
and deep-seated animosity thus engen
dered still abides in this land, where
changes in habits and customs and senti
ment occur very slowly.
The present population of Brittany is
about 3,260,000. The principal cities are
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